


I Know a Guy Who’s Tough But Sweet

by ceealaina



Series: WinterIron Bingo 2019 [7]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21963901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceealaina/pseuds/ceealaina
Summary: No, a voice that sounded frighteningly like Pepper reminded him. It didn’t matter how angry he was at the board, how frustrating it was that they didn’t trust his ability. He couldn’t go around throwing M&Ms into the open mouths of strangers sleeping in his lobby.On the other hand, his company, his lobby. There was probably some kind of stipulation somewhere about sleeping in the lobby. Stark Industries can’t be held liable, blah, blah, blah.Tony’s hand moved almost outside of his control and he watched as the M&M made a perfect arc and -- yes! -- dropped perfectly into the waiting mouth of the man.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: WinterIron Bingo 2019 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1482617
Comments: 13
Kudos: 499
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, WinterIron Bingo 2019





	I Know a Guy Who’s Tough But Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> This fills square I3 (No Powers) AND gets me a bingo on my WinterIron Bingo card, as well as filling the Free square on my Bucky Barnes Bingo card.

Tony’s fingers twitched as he took in the man sleeping in a chair just a few feet away from him. His head was tipped back, long hair spilling over the back of the seat, and he was snoring softly, his mouth presenting an incredibly tempting target. 

Tony shoved a handful of M&Ms into his mouth, crunching down on them resolutely. He was Tony Stark, genius, brilliant engineer, and head of one of the most successful companies in the world. He was better than this. 

But still, he couldn’t stop his brain from performing the calculations, figuring out the exact angle and speed that he would have to toss the piece of candy to have it land directly into the man’s mouth, how to account for the slight breeze of the air conditioning. It would be so easy…

No, a voice that sounded frighteningly like Pepper reminded him. It didn’t matter how angry he was at the board, how frustrating it was that they didn’t trust his ability. He couldn’t go around throwing M&Ms into the open mouths of strangers sleeping in his lobby. 

On the other hand, his company, his lobby. There was probably some kind of stipulation somewhere about sleeping in the lobby. Stark Industries can’t be held liable, blah, blah, blah. 

Tony’s hand moved almost outside of his control and he watched as the M&M made a perfect arc and --  _ yes! _ \-- dropped perfectly into the waiting mouth of the man. 

Who immediately began to choke. 

Oh. Oh shit!

Tony was up in a flash and over to the man, help him sit upright and patting him on the back in a way that he hoped was helpful. He probably shouldn’t have skipped that first aid course that Pepper had signed him up for. 

Thankfully, it seemed that wasn’t actually  _ choking _ choking, it was just a startled reaction to having something suddenly drop into his mouth. He caught his bearings after a moment, rubbing at his throat as he looked around the room. 

“What the fuck was that?” he asked, voice low and hoarse and oh  _ shit _ , now that he wasn’t sleeping unattractively, or coughing his brains out, he was really gorgeous and exactly Tony’s type, all thick and muscular with blue eyes and long hair and exactly the right amount of scruff on his face. 

“Um, a fly?” Tony offered, helpfully. 

Apparently the man hadn’t actually realized there was somehow else there, despite the fact that Tony was still rubbing his back. He whipped his head over to stare at Tony, who quickly pulled his hand away when he realized he was  _ still rubbing his back _ what the fuck Stark, pull yourself together. He gave him a hopeful smile, trying to sell the fly story, and the man’s gaze narrowed. 

“A fly,” he repeated, deadpan and incredulous. 

“Okay, you got me. There was some asshole throwing M&Ms around. Tossed one right in your mouth. Took off when you started choking, but if you hurry, you can probably catch him.” 

He didn’t think it possible for the man to look even more unimpressed, but apparently even Tony could be wrong sometimes. The stranger’s gaze slipped down to the -- whoops -- the bag of M&Ms that Tony was still clutching in his hand. Busted. 

But then, to Tony’s surprise, the stranger’s lips twitched. “Some asshole, huh?” he asked, voice thick with a Brooklyn accent that should  _ not  _ have been sexy but, for some reason, was hitting all of Tony’s buttons. 

“Okay, it’s me, I’m the asshole,” he admitted. “In my defense… I got so caught up in the physics that I didn’t stop to think about the biology.”

Hot and sexy arched an eyebrow at him. 

“I got so caught up in thinking about whether I could that I didn’t stop to think about whether I  _ should _ ?” 

That got him a full grin, just a little flirty, and Tony couldn’t help pushing. 

“And to be fair, you presented a very tempting target.” He let his eyes linger just a moment too long on plush lips, delighting in the way the man’s gaze heated in return. “How was I supposed to resist?” 

That earned him a soft laugh, the man shaking his head at him and looking pleased. “Physics, huh? You some kind of scientist or something?” He looked around the ornate lobby. “You work here?”

“Uh.” Tony blinked once. “Yes. Yes I do.” He held out his hand. “Tony. Stark.” 

The man beamed at him as he took his hand with a grip that left Tony a little weak in the knees. “Bucky Barnes.” Then something clicked and his gaze lit on the enormous portrait of Tony above the front desk, the one that Tony hated and Obie had insisted on. “You’re… oh. Oh fuck.” 

Tony felt his smile go a little tight around the edges. “Yes, yes I am. So, you know. Please don’t sue, if only because my assistant will absolutely murder me if she finds out I’ve been throwing candy at people in our lobby.”

To his surprise, Bucky -- which, by the way, what the fuck kind of name was  _ Bucky _ ? -- seemed to get over his shock almost immediately, grin returning in full force. “You’ve got yourself a deal on two conditions.”

“Uh-huh..?” Tony tried not to let his trepidation show. 

“I got this friend, Stevie. He’s got a job interview in the art department -- ‘s why I’m here, sleeping in your fancy pants lobby. I’m supposed to be here for moral support, but he’s been up there for hours now, and I worked nights last night, and I guess I just passed out. Anyway, he’d kill me for saying so, but he could really use this job. I’m not saying you gotta give him one, but he’d be really perfect for it, so put in a good word for him?”

Tony was already nodding. “Yes, absolutely, consider it done already.” He was pretty sure Bucky wasn’t actually going to sue him, but if that was all it would take to keep this quiet, he’d make this ‘Stevie’ the damn head of the art department. God knew they could use some fresh blood in there. “You mentioned a second thing?” 

A slow grin spread across Bucky’s face. “You let me buy you a cup of coffee?” 

It was phrased as a question, tentative so Tony would know he wasn’t really being blackmailed here, and for some reason that made something inside him go warm and fuzzy. He blinked at Bucky, trying to tamp down the pleased grin that threatened to spread across his face. 

“Me?” he said instead. “You want to buy  _ me _ a cup of coffee? You know usually that goes the other way around, right? Did you miss the part about me owning the company? I could probably buy an entire coffee chain, if I felt so inclined.” 

Bucky just shrugged, unphased. “Don’t mean you don’t like to be treated once in while though, right?”

And, well, he  _ was _ right. 

“Tell you what. I’ve got an important call I’ve got to make to the art department, but then I’ve got an hour or two free now? I know a great cafe just up the block from here.”

Bucky grinned at him, blue eyes sparkling. “Sounds like a date.”


End file.
